North America (Allocene)
Like most land masses during the Allocene, North America is somewhat tropical. This continent is mostly covered with rainforest in the south, and the rest of the U.S., along with some parts of Canada, is made of open prairie. The Rockies and Appalachia are dense with cluttered deciduous forests and sprawling grassland, while the Gulf of Mexico swells to cover up more than half of the country Mexico. The southern parts of the United States are mostly flooded, creating hot and muggy wetlands filled with all sorts of unique creatures. Due to the melting of the polar ice caps, the offshore islands along with Central America have been transformed into coral reefs and narrow spits. So the link between North and South America has been severed, once again. These areas have become infested with Titan-sharks, krakens and all kinds of amazing species. California has become a small island off of America's west coast, leading to the development of species not seen anywhere else in the world. Southern Wetlands and Rainforests In the South, the already muggy swamps and marshes have been transformed into flooded rainforests. The once spongy ground is now flooded by roughly 2 meters (6 feet) of murky water, which is home to large turtles and ravenous fish. The terrestrial forest creatures have either become arboreal or semi-aquatic to cope with this drastic change. However, large creatures like alligators and panthers have completely died out, leaving open roles in the ecosystem. Mammals *'Spectacled Trumpet Hog' - The spectacled trumpet hog is the North American subspecies of trumpet hog. Trumpet hogs aren't hogs at all, but are actually descended from South American tapirs. After the flooding of Central America, the bairds tapir has moved to North America to escape the sinking land-bridge. The spectacled trumpet hog is small compared to other members of the tapir family, only growing to about 2 meters (6 feet). This beast is mostly grey with brown blotches and is semi-aquatic, much like it's ancestor. Unlike modern day tapirs, trumpet hogs are much more robust and stocky in build, similarly to the ancient Moeritherium. The spectacled trumpet hog gets its name from the patch of dark hair on the creature's face, which greatly resembles a pair of glasses. These creatures spend most of their time in the murky, swamp water, and will come on land at night to graze. However, they will eat aquatic plants and fallen fruit during the daytime with the rest of the herd. *'Southern Castocetus' - The southern castocetus is a fully aquatic descendant of the North American beaver. The castocetus family arose after the extinction of Florida manatees and other sirenians, who played a key role in the ecosystem. The freshwater species are smaller than the saltwater species located in the Gulf of Mexico and around the coasts of the continent. In fact, the southern castocetus is only above a meter (4 feet) in length, which makes it the smallest castocetus species. These creatures have evolved similarly to the manatremes of Australia and have kept some of their ancestor's key traits. For example, underneath this creature's blubbery face lies the beaver's nearly unchanged skull. The southern castocetus is a herbivore but can still deliver a very painful bite that can easily severe an arm. This beast is completely bald and has light brown skin, with 4 oar-like flippers and a large paddle tail. Gulf of Mexico and Cuban Reefs By 25 million years AME, the Gulf of Mexico has now swelled into a large sea. The growth of the Gulf has also contributed to the split between North and South America, due to the flooding of Central America. This sea is now a meeting place for all kinds of sea-faring creatures like mavarans and manatremes. Meanwhile, small islands like Cuba and Haiti have become completely submerged. These islands have now been transformed into vast coral reefs, which are filled with bizarre sea creatures. The Golden Isle Around 20 million years AME, California has split from the rest of the continent. The split was originally around 8 miles wide, but as floodwaters continued to rise, the gap became wider and wider. Eventually, California was a completely different landmass with flora and fauana unique to the island. The Golden Isle is somewhat tropical, with dense rainforests and a warm sea, which separates this island from the mainland. Mammals * Californian Leonyx - 'Also called the saber-bear, the Californian leonyx is a one of the largest carnivores on the island, reaching the size of a full grown mountain lion. Unlike other members of the leonyx family, the Californian species is built more like a bear rather than a puma. This species of leonyx is one of three to be descended from the bobcat, and is equipped with sabre teeth the size of a jack knife. These creatures prey on all kinds of game, including gradgers and bungols. Saber-bears are the "tallest" members of the leonyx family, reaching heights of 1.5 meters (5 feet) at the shoulder. * '''Broad Backed Ferret - ' Descended from black ferrets, the broad backed ferret is a dog sized carnivore native to the West coast of the United States. Broad backed ferrets are quite stocky and greatly resemble the wolverine, another species of mustelid native to North America. These creatures have become carnivorous due to competition from large grazers like gradgers. These creatures are strictly ground-based predators and can't climb trees. Broad backed ferrets live in small packs of 5 and can take down prey double their size. These creatures can raise half a dozen pups a year, and are dark brown with a white stripe running down their stomach and back. Northern Cold Forests In the Northern half of the continent, deciduous forests mostly dominate the area. Most of these warm coastal forests transition to much colder and more dense forests. These forests surround the central prairie and stretch all the way up to the Northern tip of North America. The forests receive a lot of precipitation, which varies on location, but aren't considered rainforests. The animals here have evolved to fill niches left behind by bears, ungulates and big cats, and have reached enormous sizes to do so. Mammals * 'Regal Pine Fox - '''The regal pine fox is a fox-sized omnivore descended from the American Marten. Although these creatures are in the same family as the saber-toothed Scimartens of Europe, the pine foxes are mostly harmless, only preying on insects and small mammals. The regal pine fox is the largest of the pine foxes, reaching sizes of up to a meter (3 feet) long. These beasts are dark red with a silver underbelly, and have teeth adapted for eating live animals along with seeds and nuts. The creature's tail is long and puffy, similar to a fox or a squirrel, and they wrap their tail around themselves during the winter in order to stay warm. * '''Tufted Leparlope - '''One of the smallest American species of leparlope, the tufted Leparlope is one of the most common species in the Americas. These creatures can be found from Southern Canada to the Northern tip of South America and can thrive in nearly every habitat. Due to their small size and stature, they are often mistaken as large species of stilt-rats, but have the signature white spots that mark these creatures as leparlopes. These creatures are grey with white spots and can reach sizes of about a meter (3 feet) at the shoulder. ALos, these leparlopes have an overall scruffy appearance, which gives them their name. Central Prairie Like the most of present day North America, the center of the continent is dominated by dry grassland. However, the prairies of Allocene America are slightly more lush than the rolling prairies of the modern day. These grasslands have all kinds of cactuses grasses and other plants unique to this ecosystem. In fact, this biome stretches from Utah all the way up to Southern Canada. The fauna here have evolved to fill the niches left behind by large mammals like bison and wolves, along with many other species. Mammals *'Twin-Striped Gradger - Also known as the common gradger, the twin-striped gradger is a giant descendant of the groundhog. The gradger family has evolved to fill the niche left behind by large grazers like bison and elk, and have spread throughout the continent. 6 species of gradgers, the twin-striped creature is the second largest, reaching lengths of 2 meters (6 feet) and heights of up to about a meter (4 feet) at the shoulder. Gradgers are the most common grazing mammals in North America, and traverse the prairies and forests in herds of up to 30 individuals. These creatures are dirty brown and have 2 grey stripes running down its body, which give them their name. Groundhogs have evolved longer, pillar-like legs in order to reach faster speeds in order to escape predators. Also, the beast's two front teeth have merged to form a giant tooth which greatly improves grazing and can also deliver an extremely painful bite. Birds *'Northern Moa' - The Moa family has evolved from rheas shortly after the mass extinction. The rheas scattered from the sinking land-bridge once known as Central America and moved throughout North and South America. These avians grew extremely large in size, sometimes even reaching heights just below 4 meters (11 feet). Moas are strictly herbivorous, but will defend themselves from predators by kicking violently. These birds share similar behavior with their ancestors, along with the ostrich, and travel the prairies in small flocks. Reptiles and Amphibians *'Diamondback King Lizard' - The diamondback king lizard is one of the largest and most common species of king lizards, a family of omnivorous lizards descended from horned lizards. This creature can grow up to the size of an iguana and live in small family groups of 3 or 4. Females can lay up to 12 eggs each season, and they will care for their young until the hatchlings can fend for themselves. The horned lizard family has evolved more armor to protect themselves from predators, which also resulted in the loss of the creasture's ability to squirt "blood" from its eyes. Diamondbacks are normally sand-colored with a red/black diamond pattern running from neck to tail. When provoked by predators, these beasts will puff up to look more intimidating, and will hiss constantly until the foe backs down. Category:The Allocene Category:North America